Heading into his senior season, Golden locked down a role in the starting lineup at strong safety after making four starts the year before. He racked up a career high 75 total tackles in 2016 — good for fourth on the Nittany Lion defense.

Golden will wear No. 30 alongside rookie Pitt running back James Conner, who owns the the league’shottest-selling jersey, as they both compete for a spot on the final 53-man roster. This preseason, franchises are required to make just one cut instead of two– going from 90 to 53 by no later than 4 p.m. on Sept. 3.

Golden started 13 games last fall, only missing the Minnesota contest due to injury. Troy Apke started in his place against the Golden Gophers and is a leading candidate to permanently take the job opposite Marcus Allen during preseason camp in August. Golden graduated in December 2015 with a degree in telecommunications.

About Author

Ethan Kasales is a townie who grew up in Lemont, a few minutes from campus. He's majoring in Journalism and has a passion for Spanish. Ethan's a lifelong Penn State football fan and loves talking all types of sports with whoever will listen. In the winter, when it's way too cold in Happy Valley to play golf, he teaches snowboarding at Tussey Mountain. If you ever want to learn how to ride, he'd love to teach you. Ethan enjoys whistling along to everything from Bruce Springsteen to Action Bronson. You can follow him @easyEKasales or email [email protected]